Are you disrupting your market? Don’t let people basics be the thing that slows you down
If you’re a start-up or scale-up shaking up your industry, innovation is probably your superpower. You move quickly. You spot gaps. You build, test, refine - fast.
But there’s a moment that catches a lot of founders out:
You’re growing…and suddenly the way you’ve been working no longer holds.
Not because anyone’s doing anything wrong but because what works for a small, close-knit team doesn’t automatically scale.
Scaling requires structure
In the early days, you can rely on closeness, quick chats and shared context. It works for the founding team. It even works when you make that first, all‑important hire.
But then the next person joins…and the next…and suddenly what felt simple becomes messy.
That’s usually the moment leaders realise: growth needs more than good intentions. It needs a few simple, repeatable people foundations - clear hiring, a consistent onboarding experience, and regular expectations and feedback. Not to slow you down, but to stop everything living in your head.
Culture is your competitive advantage (and your safety net)
When you’re disrupting a market, culture isn’t a “nice to have” or the fluffy stuff. It’s what helps you manage risk, support your team, and make good decisions when things get intense.
A strong culture attracts the right talent and creates shared ownership. It also gives people clarity, so when something goes wrong (a performance issue, a grievance, a conduct concern), you have the basics in place and a straightforward process everyone can trust.
This doesn’t need to be complicated or over-engineered. A few clear expectations, simple policies, and consistent habits go a long way.
If it helps, think “minimum viable” people basics: a simple way to handle concerns fairly (grievance and discipline), clear absence reporting, and an anti-harassment stance people can trust.
Consistency matters. When you respond fairly and consistently, you build trust fast, and you reduce risk.
The earlier you get clear on “how we do things here”, the easier it is to build a team that can scale with you.
Agility depends on clarity (not chaos)
A common fear is that processes will make things feel corporate.
In reality, the right people processes do the opposite. They remove friction.
When roles are clear, expectations are shared, and decisions don’t rely on who happens to be in the room, teams move faster and with less rework. You don’t need heavy policy. You need clarity people can rely on.
Investors look at your team, not just your product
Funding rounds, growth targets, ambitious roadmaps they all hinge on the same thing: can your team deliver, consistently?
Investors want confidence that the business can grow without constant firefighting. People foundations signal maturity. They show you’re building something sustainable, not just exciting.
Five people foundations to prioritise early
You don’t need everything at once. Start with the basics that create momentum:
Strategic recruitment
Hire for values and capability, not urgency. Build a consistent approach that helps you make strong decisions repeatedly.
Effective onboarding
Help new joiners understand priorities, expectations and ways of working quickly without relying on “just ask someone”.
Performance and feedback rhythms
Regular check-ins. Clear goals. Early course correction. This is how you build trust and avoid surprises.
Learning and development (including line manager training)
Many people in start-ups are managing for the first time. Light-touch basics make a disproportionate difference and reassure your team the right support is there when needed.
Engagement and wellbeing
Keep a pulse on how people are doing as you scale.
Bottom line
Disrupting your market is thrilling. But sustainable disruption requires investing in your people.
Get the foundations right early, and you’ll build a resilient team that can grow with clarity, confidence and momentum without losing what made the business special in the first place.
If growth is starting to feel messy, take it as your cue: pick two foundations to tighten up this quarter, keep them simple, and build from there.
Putting people at the heart of business success.
